Talk about pressure cookers! The quarterback situation at Oklahoma has turned into one wild rollercoaster ride, and John Mateer just got handed the keys to this thrill machine.
After Jackson Arnold shocked the college football world by bolting to Auburn, the Sooners quickly snagged former Washington State gunslinger Mateer to save the day. But hold your horses, Sooners fans—an Oklahoma insider is throwing up some serious caution flags about what lies ahead for your new QB1.
Insider Drops Bold Warning for Oklahoma’s John Mateer After Stunning QB Portal Twist
Coming off a breakout season where he tossed for 3,139 yards and racked up a whopping 44 total touchdowns at Washington State, Mateer seemed like the perfect Band-Aid for Oklahoma’s quarterback woes.
Plus, he’s already familiar with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle’s system—bonus points! But as the saying goes, the SEC ain’t the Pac-12, folks.
Oklahoma insider John Williams didn’t exactly sugarcoat things when discussing Mateer’s transition on the “Locked on Sooners” podcast. In fact, he laid down a pretty hefty ultimatum.
“John Mateer has to be the John Mateer we saw last year for Washington State. He’s got to be better. He’s got to be more consistent,” Williams warned.
Here’s the thing—while Mateer showed flashes of brilliance last year, including games where he rumbled for nearly 200 rushing yards, he also had some real head-scratchers in the passing department. Williams referenced those “stinko passing performances” that won’t fly against SEC competition.
I mean, a 47.4% completion rate against Texas Tech? Try pulling that against Alabama or Georgia and see how fast things go south.
As Williams put it: “If you’re going to be the quarterback at Oklahoma, if you’re going to lead Oklahoma back to the playoffs, back into title contention, you cannot afford to have some of these passing performances that John Mateer had against some of the defenses Oklahoma will play.”
Now, jumping from Washington State’s schedule (ranked 90th-toughest) to Oklahoma’s gauntlet (sixth-toughest) is like riding a bicycle to piloting a fighter jet. Overnight.
The clock is already ticking for Mateer. As Williams bluntly stated, “I need him to be even better than he was against Washington State. I’ve got to see him make the second jump in Ben Arbuckle’s system—from the 1st year as a starter to the 2nd year as a starter.”
KEEP READING: CFB Insider Explains Why Oklahoma’s New QB John Mateer Could Be the Breakout Star in 2025
Oklahoma fans aren’t exactly known for their patience, especially regarding quarterbacks. They don’t just want someone who can complete passes—they want someone who can bring championships back to Norman.
Can Mateer handle that kind of heat? We’re about to find out if he’s got what it takes to survive in Oklahoma football’s pressure cooker, actually thrive in it.
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